For most people, laptop is the default option when buying a new computer. It can work at home or on the go, and everything is built into it: screen, keyboard, trackpad, speakers, webcam and the computer itself.
But as convenient as it is, a laptop may not be the best choice depending on how you intend to use it. You may not need the whole kit and caboodle. Additionally, laptops require a lot of engineering to develop, which adds to the cost.
If your laptop will be used constantly at home, tethered to your desk with an external monitor, keyboard and mouse, and you're only choosing a laptop because you don't want to spend a ton of money on a bulky pre-built desktop PC… then consider a mini PC.
Mini PCs have a number of advantages over laptops that are worth it if you don't need the inherent portability that laptops offer.
Connected: Why you shouldn't buy a laptop based solely on its specs
Mini PCs are more economical
Jared Newman / Foundry
Although there is no guarantee that the mini PC will Always If it's cheaper than a similar laptop, then you can usually get a solid mini PC for less than you'd pay for a laptop with similar hardware.
This is because a mini PC can forego the cost of other items that are not included in the package: display, keyboard, mouse, speakers, battery, etc. If you already have all of these or are planning to outfit your laptop with a lot of external peripherals, then you are wasting your money on a laptop.
As an extreme example to drive the point home, compare the M2 Mac Mini to the M2 MacBook Air. If you strip away all the other “laptop” elements, the Mac Mini costs just $599—significantly less than the MacBook Air's $999 price.
This means that if you're in the market for a specific range (eg entry-level, mid-range, high-end), then you'll likely pay less for the same options if you choose a mini PC instead of a laptop.
Mini PCs have better performance
Mini PCs have the advantage of delivering even more performance than comparable laptops: They aren't limited by the size restrictions that laptops require, so mini PCs have more freedom when it comes to their internal components.
The physical design of a laptop determines how air flows through the laptop, which affects cooling. Laptops must balance thermal management with performance. Meanwhile, mini PCs can be shaped the way they want, and with more efficient cooling, they can upgrade their components and achieve greater performance.
For example, US$479 The Ryzen 7 8745HS is fast enough to score over 13,000 points in the Cinebench R23 multi-core test and 1,600 points in the single-core test.
This puts it pretty close to Asus Zenbook 14 OLED laptop for $850which scored 13,777 and 1,508 points in the same tests respectively – and that's with the Ryzen 7 8840HS processor, which is an upgrade from the mini-PC chip.
It's a similar story with Mac. Our friends at MacWorld saw the $699 Mac Mini M1 beat the $999 MacBook Air M1 in Cinebench R23 and Geekbench 5 tests. Talk about huge savings!
Mini PCs don't have batteries
Panos Sakalakis / Unsplash
Ignoring the cost and performance factors that put mini PCs ahead of laptops, there is another important point to consider: since mini PCs are not portable, they do not have batteries.
Batteries can be problematic not only in laptops, but also in any portable device. Constant charging and discharging generates additional heat, which can harm other internal components if pressed too hard, and also shortens battery life.
Mini PCs have fewer parts to worry about in terms of durability, meaning they tend to last longer.
Mini PCs are easier to upgrade
Jared Newman / Foundry
Most laptops don't have enough internal space for upgrades. Maybe you can change a few things here and there, but overall you're stuck with the configuration you bought.
Mini PCs are a different story. Gaming GMKTec M5 Plus for $399 It may be a mini PC, but it's spacious enough for an M.2 slot, a 2.5-inch SATA slot, and two SO-DIMM slots. So while there is an M.2 drive, you can upgrade it by adding an additional SATA drive if you want, and you can upgrade the RAM modules beyond the original configuration even if this model already has a good amount of 32GB installed.
Actually, a quick search “mini PC” on Newegg shows that most affordable mini PCs clearly offer user-accessible RAM and support multiple storage devices (i.e. SATA and M.2 slots).
Meanwhile, modern laptops typically come with a single M.2 slot with no room for an additional drive and usually come with RAM modules soldered on. This means you can only update your data drive replacement that, and you won't be able to upgrade your RAM at all.
Further reading: Killer PC upgrades that are shockingly cheap
Mini PCs have more ports
Newegg
As laptops have become thinner and smaller, achieving this goal has required some sacrifices, such as ports and connectivity.
These days, you'll be lucky if you have two USB ports and a headset jack. Bonus points if you also have an HDMI port. High-end laptops in particular have largely abandoned ports, such as the Dell XPS 13, which only offers two USB-C ports. This means extreme dependence on nodes and docks.
Mini PCs play different music. The very first mini PC in my Newegg search includes four USB-A ports on one side, followed by two HDMI 2.0 ports, two Ethernet ports, and a headset jack on the other side.
And it's not even one of the most impressive mini PCs out there. Miniforum UM890 Pro for $647 Features four 10Gbps USB-A ports, two 4K@120Hz HDMI ports, plus USB4 and DisplayPort outputs, two 2.5Gbps Ethernet ports, and a headset jack.
Mini PCs may be just what you need
In short, mini PCs offer more bang for your buck than laptops, which can extract more performance from equivalent hardware. And cost less than laptops of the same level.
Of course, you're giving up the inherent portability of a laptop by opting for a mini PC, but that's fine if you're always at home anyway. You'll also have to provide your own keyboard, mouse, and monitor, but you can buy them cheap and still pay less than you would for a laptop.
If you're looking for a new device and think your only choice is a laptop, desktop, or tablet, think again. A mini PC may be the one that suits you best for the price. We regularly highlight mini PC offers in our editorial, so click on this link and dig in if you want to save even more money.
Connected: I upgraded from a $1000 desktop PC to a $300 mini PC and have no regrets.
